Edward Masen Jr
by BriiDream
Summary: Bella sat back and stared at the two different pictures. No matter the utter insanity of the idea, Bella was certain that Edward Cullen was Edward Masen, Jr. Human AU. ON HIATUS FOR REST OF 2010-see profile.
1. Edward Cullen is Edward Masen Jr

**Twilight does not belong to me.**

**A simple oneshot that I could extend into a multichapter, depending on your responses.**

**Edward Masen Jr.**

**By BriiDream**

Chapter One: Edward Cullen is Edward Masen Jr.

Bella stared into space as Mr. Banner explained with slides the different stages of mitosis. She already knew all of this; she and her partner, the rich, capricious son of the irresistible, saintlike Dr. Cullen, had been the first to get all of the slides right. Bella peeked over at Edward Cullen. He was laidback in his chair, studying his perfectly manicured nails. He was handsome, but considered a snob like his siblings. Bella didn't think Edward was snobbish, maybe shy.

"Miss Swan, please pay attention," Mr. Banner said gruffly. Bella looked forward, her whole face turning crimson. She heard a chuckle from beside her and turned even redder.

As soon as the bell rang, Bella jumped up. She launched herself at the door. As usual, whenever she attempted an escape, she tripped over her own feet. She fell forward and felt someone tripped over her. Books scattered everywhere.

"I'm sorry," Bella gasped at the same time her fellow victim apologized. She looked over curiously at him. It was Edward Cullen. He was now kneeling and gathering up his books and papers. Bella blushed and quickly pulled her own books toward herself. "Sorry, Edward."

"It's alright…Bella," Edward smiled crookedly. He stood up and hurried away. Bella stared after him until Mr. Banner cleared his throat from behind his desk.

As Bella hurried out the classroom, she was certain she heard Mr. Banner muttered something that sounded like 'teen hormones' under his breath. She was in a daze during Gym, so she tried to keep out of the way of her team. She hurried off to her truck afterwards. She threw her books in, then slid in. As she was shoving the key into the ignition, something caught her eye. She looked down at her books.

"Oh," she gasped, picking up an apparently new hardback novel. She must have accidentally picked up one of Edward's books. She turned to the page Edward had bookmarked with a photograph. Her attention was grabbed by the photo. It was a Christmas picture likely taken at a Wal-Mart; it contained a much younger and cuter Edward with his parents, Dr. Cullen and his wife. The couple looked extremely young. Edward looked around seven or eight years old.

Bella glanced around the parking lot for the Cullens' Volvo, but it was already gone. Bella planned to return the book tomorrow at lunch. She pulled out the driveway and headed home. Once, home, she turned on her computer. She still had to finish her research on Missing Children and Reasons for Kidnapping for her Sociology college course. She was almost done, but needed another 200 words for her paper to make the minimum amount.

Bella pulled up a list of reported missings. She hadn't really enjoyed reading about all of the missing children that had either been found dead later or were never heard from again. She scanned the photos and froze when she stopped at one. She had seen this one before, but hadn't stopped to really looked because there wasn't a lot of information on him. But now, she stopped because of the familiarity of the young child. She had seen this boy before.

Bella snatched her bookbag off the floor and yanked Edward Cullen's book out. She was almost careless opening the book and pulling out the photograph. She then held it up beside her computer screen to make a better comparison. The age difference was obvious by a few years; but, both boys had piercing, green eyes and the same unusual bronze shade to their reddish brown hair. Their slightly crooked smiles were identical. They could have been brothers-or the very same.

Bella dropped the photo on her desk. She clicked on the photo of the small boy whose name was coincidentally Edward. She leaned forward and read the small article on the missing 4-year-old:

_'Edward Masen, Jr. disappeared from the Chicago Hospital shortly after his mother, Elizabeth Masen, was rolled to the morgue at 8:34 PM, joining her husband, Edward Sr. in death. Edward, Jr. was taken from his bed, sick and burning with a fever over 105 degrees Fahrenheit. No one noticed his absence for at the maximum of an hour. Notices went up, but Edward Masen was never found. Chances of finding the toddler were considerably dim; the doctors do not think the boy could have survived without medical attention. Search for the boy lasted only a few years before it ran cold. The reason for kidnapping is still unclear. The boy was expected to join his mother in heaven by midnight. The boy most likely did join her eventually.'_

Bella stared at the screen, trying to unscramble her thoughts. She grabbed a piece of paper and made a list. On one side, this toddler likely died. But the resemblance was impossible to deny. They said Edward couldn't survive without medical help; Dr. Cullen would have been more than qualified.

Bella sat back and stared at the two different pictures. No matter the utter insanity of the idea, Bella was certain that Edward Cullen was Edward Masen, Jr.

Edward Cullen was kidnapped.

**This didn't turn out quite like I wanted it to…all well.**

**The Sociology part was made up to explain why she would be looking up missing kids.-shrugs- Maybe if Edward hadn't been sparklingly fascinating, she might have thought to take college classes since school was so easy for her.**

**Please review!**


	2. Thinking It Through

**I decided to continue this to the best of my abilities. I only have a vague idea of what happens next (it was kinda a daydream during school, so yeah). Thank you for all of the encouraging replies!!!**

**WARNING: kidnapping, mentions of child abuse later on, and antagonistic Carlisle (to an extent)**

**Edward Cullen, Jr.**

**By BriiDream**

Chapter Two: Thinking It Through

It took ten minutes before Bella could completely calm herself and not run screaming down the stairs to her father, Chief Swan. Accusing a well-respected doctor of kidnapping one of his foster sons had several ways of blowing up in her face. She had to be absolutely certain. There were still things that didn't fit the puzzle. For one, the date of little Edward's disappearance, clashed with Edward Cullen's age. Edward would have been a baby, not a four-year-old, if he had been kidnapped in 1989 like the article suggested. Plus, there was also the matter of his two siblings, Emmett and Alice, who weren't mention in the article at all. Bella became frustrated and went downstairs to start dinner for Charlie.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't realize what time it was," Bella said, surprised when she saw Charlie in the kitchen. She spotted the pizza box on the table.

"It's alright, Bells," he smiled, sitting down. "I know you have a lot of work dealing with school and those college courses you take. So how are things going?"

"Great," Bella got a plate out of the cabinet and sat down. She pulled a slice of pizza on her plate. "Hey dad, uh, when did Dr. Cullen adopt all those kids?"

"Dr. Cullen's kids," Charlie looked up surprised. He took a bite out of his pizza slice and mulled over her question. "His wife has had those twins since they were eight, I believe. Dr. Cullen married her around the same time. I'm not sure about the others, although I'm guessing it would be later. They were really young to be dealing with twins and all. Why?"

"I was just wondering," Bella shrugged. She quickly finished her dinner, and hurried upstairs with the excuse of a lot of homework. She decided against adding Edward Masen to her paper and instead chose two girls who were kidnapped by their father and eventually returned to their mother as adults. She shut down her computer and sat down on her bed with Edward Cullen's novel and photograph.

She frowned at the picture. If Mrs. Cullen had the twins since the beginning of her marriage, why weren't they (along with Edward's siblings) in the holiday picture? Nothing was making sense anymore. She decided to ask Edward about it tomorrow without mentioning the fact that she thought he was kidnapped.

The following morning, Bella woke up early and hurried downstairs. She ate breakfast with Charlie and left right after he did. She found a parking space easily; she sat in her truck and looked around to find the shiny Volvo that the Cullens owned. It was nowhere in sight, even after the parking lot had filled up. Bella sighed and headed off to first period.

She barely paid attention in any of her classes. She didn't really miss anything, but Trig. Once she got to lunch, she glanced around the cafeteria looking for any of the Cullens. She finally spied them in the corner farthest from her table.

Now, that she really looked at them, she admitted they did look too old for high school. Edward looked like he could pull off twenty or twenty-one. Edward glanced in her direction. She blushed in embarrassment at having been caught staring. He smiled at her and winked.

"What's going on between you and Edward Cullen," Jessica asked, her eyes narrowing as they darted between Bella's red face and Edward's smirk as he looked away. "Mike said he was all over you yesterday."

"I tripped and he tripped over me. He wasn't 'all over me'," Bella frowned as her face gradually drained of the excess blood. "And there's nothing between us, Jess."

Jessica huffed and looked up. Bella caught the look Lauren shot her. She sighed. She already had to deal with envy because Mike and Erik didn't leave her alone; now everyone was going to bug her because Edward Cullen had flirted with her.

Bella headed to Biology to get away from Jessica and Lauren's suspicious glares. She pulled Edward Cullen's book out and placed it on his end of the table. She then doodled on her notebook until she heard Edward sit down beside her.

"Oh, thanks, Bella," Edward smiled at her as he picked up the book and dumped it on top of his textbook. "I thought I lost that."

"No problem," she replied. She bit her lip, then blurted before she could stop herself. "You were late this morning."

"Esme has a conference in Seattle today," Edward explained. "Rosalie forgot to fix Esme's car, so she had to take our Volvo. Carlisle drove us to school."

"Oh," she mumbled and looked away. Mr. Banner started class and she attempted to focus on the lesson. She felt Edward's eyes on her the entire class period. When the bell rang, she glanced over at him. "Is there something that fascinates you?"

"Yes, there is," Edward grinned crookedly, although his green eyes showed his curiosity through his playful smile. "You don't act your age, Bella."

"I find you fascinating, too," Bella said slowly, looking Edward in the eye. "I find your whole _family_ intriguing."

Bella grabbed her books and left. As she turned away, she noticed that Edward wasn't smiling anymore. Mike caught up with her on the way to the gym and chattered happily. Bella stopped outside the girls' locker room when Mike made a comment on Edward.

"He didn't look very happy about whatever you said to him," Mike grinned. "Did you turn him down or something?"

"He looked unhappy," Bella asked curiously. She bit her lip and wondered if she shouldn't have told Edward that she was on to his family. But his reaction was a confirmation that something was going on, and that Edward Cullen was fully aware of whatever his family was hiding.

**I hope you enjoyed this. **

**Please review and let me know of any mistakes, OOCness, or how great it was.**


	3. Mind Games

**Twilight does not belong to me, but to Stephenie Meyer.**

**WARNING: kidnapping, mentions of child abuse, and antagonistic Carlisle (to an extent)**

**Edward Masen Jr.**

**By BriiDream**

Chapter Three: Mind Games

Bella was suspicious when none of the Cullens came to school the next day. Angela told her that Dr. Cullen pulled the kids out on sunny days to go on hikes and camping trips. Bella let her suspicion go for the first two, sunny days, but when Friday came around with thunderclouds, she was certain the family were MIA because of what she had said to Edward.

She doubted this recent assumption when she pulled into the parking lot Monday morning. The Cullens' Volvo was parked in its usual position. She looked forward to lunch to see if Edward was still defensive over her comment.

Edward stared at her for the first half of lunch so much that Bella started to feel self-conscious. She peeked over her lemonade and was thankful to see that Edward had been distracted by one of the blond twins, Rosalie. When they glanced at her, Bella blushed and stared at the table. She had a very strong feeling that the argument was about her.

"Look like there's trouble in Cullen Paradise," Mike suggested in a low tone. Everyone at their table glanced over at the Cullens. Bella looked up just in time to see Edward stalking out the cafeteria. "I wonder what that's about."

Mike barely had the words out before all four remaining Cullens glanced over at Bella for five noticeable seconds. Bella didn't pay attention to when everyone around her turned to stare at her in surprise. She noticed that most of the Cullens' glares had been hostile, especially that of Rosalie Hale. Bella felt her stomach drop to the floor. His siblings knew that she knew and were far from happy with it.

Bella took her time going to Biology class. She arrived just as the bell rang. Edward was writing furiously in a notebook even though it wasn't a note-taking lesson. Bella sat beside him and opened her own notebook to doodle in. Thankfully, Mr. Banner was out sick and the sub handed out worksheets to complete instead of an activity that would involve Bella interacting with Edward. The sub did allowed them to talk once they completed the pretty simple assignments.

"Good evening, Bella." Bella looked up in disbelief at Edward who smiled crookedly at her. His face held none of the brooding anger it had at the beginning of class. "How was your weekend?"

"Fine," she replied reluctantly, staring at him distrustfully. He couldn't seriously have shrugged off her accusation so easily; not with his reaction last week and his siblings' reaction at lunch. "And yours?"

"Splendid," Edward smiled broadly as if he was pleased that she had decided to play along with his game. "My family went on an extended camping trip. It was great to be up in the mountains. The snow wasn't as deep as the weatherman had predicted, so we were able to go along our favorite hiking trails."

"Huh," Bella narrowed her eyes. He smiled innocently back at her. "My weekend wasn't as big as yours. I finished up a couple of assignments for my Sociology class and did other research."

"You're taking college courses," Edward asked, his emerald eyes burned with a sincere interest. "Are you planning to follow a social worker's career? Sociology is important, and I think you need to take Psychology as well."

"I'm not sure exactly what I want to pursue yet," Bella confessed. "I'm only taking Sociology because I think it will prove beneficiary towards anything I choose."

"Well, what was your childhood dream to be as an adult," Edward smiled encouragingly. "You should also look at your strengths."

"I'm not sure," Bella replied slowly as she thought about it. "I always loved books, so maybe I could be a librarian or an English teacher."

"What about a writer?"

"No way," Bella laughed lightly. She shook her head at him. "I am the most unoriginal person out there. I can't be creative to save my life."

"You have a very beautiful laugh," Edward complimented. Bella flushed red. He laughed at her. "You're very nice in general actually."

The bell rang and Bella hurried out the classroom. Edward caught her arm outside the classroom. She looked back, still pink in the cheeks from her embarrassment, and was surprised that he looked slightly flushed.

"Do you want to go to the movies with me," he asked in one breath. He ducked his head as he added, "I can buy you dinner afterwards."

"Uh, s-sure," Bella stammered in shock. Edward flashed her all of his white teeth in a wide grin before hurrying off to his next class. Bella walked off to Gym in a daze.

It wasn't until she was at home and cooking dinner, that a thought occurred to her; while she had been talking to Edward, the fact that his family was possible hiding a dark secret had almost been chased completely out of her mind. She wondered if that had been done on purpose. She wondered if the date was just another way to make her completely forget about what she had discovered.

Or the date could be for an entirely different reason. If she knew his family's secret, he could possibly be willing to do anything to make certain she didn't tell anyone. He could attempt to silence her forever to keep his family's secret hidden. So the question now was: should she go on a date with Edward Cullen or not?

**Sorry for the delay!**

**Please review!**


	4. To Date or Not to Date

**Twilight does not belong to me, but to Stephenie Meyer.**

**WARNING: kidnapping, mentions of child abuse, and antagonistic Carlisle (to an extent)**

**Edward Masen Jr**

**By BriiDream**

Chapter Four: To Date or Not to Date

Bella stared out her truck's windshield. She had arrived way too early to school and it was pouring down outside. She knew she was going to have the worst day of her life. She watched as cars, vans, and trucks pulled into the parking lot. The Cullens' Volvo stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the older vehicles.

Bella finally slid out her truck and raced to the safety of her English classroom. She quickly walked to the back of the room. She sat down breathlessly beside Eric. Mr. Mason talked about doing a Shakespearean play. The class's response was mixed. Eric eagerly supported it as something to add to their school newspaper which was barely two pages long. Bella doodled in her notebook; if there was going to be a play, she was definitely not going to participate.

The rest of the morning flew by. When lunch rolled around, she glanced at the Cullens' table. She stopped and counted the members of the table-four. Edward was not with his family, although Bella was certain that she had seen all of the Cullens get out the Volvo this morning. Was his class held back like hers?

"Hey, Bella," Jessica tugged impatiently on her arm. "What do you want?"

"Uh, nothing," Bella grabbed a bottle of lemonade and followed Jessica to their crowded table. Jessica huffed, but chose not to say anything on the matter. She sat down between Angela and Mike. They were discussing the play Mr. Mason was planning on. She ignored them.

"Edward Cullen is looking over here again." Bella's head shot up and she followed the general direction of Mike's scowl and everyone else's glances. Edward sat at another table a few yards away from his siblings (who, Bella now noticed, were throwing inconspicuous glances in his direction).

"He's looking at you, Bella," Jessica laughed halfheartedly and with a noticeable air of envy. Bella flushed and looked back over at Edward Cullen who gestured at her to come over. "Are you guys a thing or something?"

"No, Jess, it's probably homework or something," Bella stood up as she mumbled the lame excuse. She knew none of them, except neutral Angela, would be pleasant about Edward asking her out on a date.

Bella walked across the cafeteria, feeling her friends' eyes boring holes in her back. She was sweating by the time she reached Edward who smiled amusedly up at her. He raised an eyebrow when she just kept standing there.

"You can sit down; I don't bite," Edward grinned as she flushed and sat down. He glanced curiously at her lack of a tray, but didn't comment.

"W-Why aren't you sitting with your family," Bella stammered, wondering if she would have any dignity left after this encounter. She stared at her hands clutching the lemonade bottle.

"I'm starting to feel claustrophobic," Edward shrugged. "Being stuck with your four differing siblings practically 24/7 is no picnic. A little space is appreciated."

Bella nodded and took a sip from the bottle. She peered over it at Edward who stared just as curious back at her. She felt her cheeks burned, so she looked past his brilliant and beautiful green eyes to his siblings. She met Rosalie's blue eyes which flashed hostilely back.

"Your family doesn't like me very much," Bella gulped, looking back at Edward.

"Don't mind them," Edward said, a little too quickly. He leaned towards her and suggested, "Why don't we discuss our upcoming date instead?"

"Date. Right." Bella groaned inwardly. She had had a restless night with every possible outcome of her choice running through her mind. Something bad would definitely happen. She had been unable to make up a plausible excuse to get out of it now. He would be suspicious why she was refusing him, which would lead thoughts back to his suspicious family.

Edward picked up on her tone. "You've changed your mind?"

"No, of course not," Bella replied hastily. The only thing that stopped her from slapping herself in public was the disappointed look that crossed his face. Was he disappointed she hadn't said yes? "Are _you_ having second thoughts?"

"Of course not," Edward smiled sweetly. "So when do you want to go?"

"Um," Bella bit her bottom lip. She was convinced he was lying, but she had no way of calling him out on it. She also needed to find time to make up a better excuse that wouldn't get the date simply pushed back. "I'll have to talk to Charlie about it first. He's a bit strict about dates."

"Haven't you gone on a date before?"

"No one ever asked me out before," Bella confessed. Edward looked surprised. She rolled her eyes even though she was flattered at his assumption. "I was a wallflower in Phoenix."

"You're far from a wallflower here," Edward gestured behind her, reminding her of the huge holes being burned into her back. "You didn't say yes to any of them?"

"No, I haven't," Bella hesitated before adding, "I really don't see either Mike or Eric as potential dates. They're great friends."

"Well, I hope you tell them that to their face," Edward smiled crookedly. "Some guys and girls have a hard time getting subtle rejections."

Bella groaned in despair at her predicament. Edward had the nerve to snicker. She gave him an annoyed glare.

"If I told you no, would you stop asking me out on dates," Bella asked, crossing her arms.

"It depends if you were clear with your message or not," Edward leaned back. "If you simply said no and added an excuse, I might ask again in a few weeks or months, simply because you didn't really say you didn't want to date me. You only gave a reason for why you couldn't go on that particular date."

"Well thought out," Bella complimented, hiding her surprise. She rarely met a guy who was a good debater. The ones in Phoenix had read off of the notes of the girls.

"Thank you," Edward smiled. "The same thing with if you had simply hinted that you were interested in someone else-they might think they still had a chance if you weren't dating your interest. Even then, they sometimes get it caught in their head that you could still be interested in them. You should be as firm and as clear as possible when handling deluded admirers."

"You could probably make a great dating advisor," Bella grinned back at him.

"I might have to if we don't make it to Biology on time."

Bella glanced around at the empty cafeteria in shock. She stood up and hastily left with Edward to Biology. She felt warm walking beside him. She stopped outside the class when she was hit by a strong realization that she might actually like Edward-more than a friend.

"Will you be joining us today, Miss Swan," Mr. Banner asked in a slightly exasperated tone. Bella blushed and sat down beside Edward.

Bella stared at her notebook in a daze. Her feelings for Edward were definitely going to complicate things. He was irresistible, and she needed to find a reason to not go on the date before she lost complete control of her emotions. She shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She glanced through her curtain of hair at Edward who was writing in that notebook from the day before. She wondered if it was a diary or journal.

Towards the end of class, Edward passed a note over to her. She opened it carefully (once she checked to make sure Mr. Banner wasn't looking). His handwriting was as elegant as before and she read the simple message: _Looking forward to our date._

**So very sorry for the hiatus. I'm trying to get back on track. I hope you forgive me.**


	5. Double Date

**Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer, who is not me.**

**WARNING: kidnapping, mentions of child abuse, and antagonistic Carlisle (to an extent)**

**Edward Masen Jr.**

**By BriiDream**

Chapter Five: Double Date

Bella stirred the pot of pasta very carefully since her mind kept trailing off to thoughts of Edward Cullen and her problem. She opened the refrigerator and pulled out the tomato sauce. She turned the stove off and sat down to wait for the water to stop boiling. Her thoughts sunk back into her boy problems.

She needed to get out of the date somehow. That was her major priority. Everything else would have to wait. The way Edward had reacted to her denial of canceling on him was very suspicious; it was as if he wanted her to say she wouldn't go with him. But why would he want that when he was the one that asked her out first? Why was he reluctant to now carry it out?

"Hey, Bells," Charlie cheerfully greeted her as he stomped into the kitchen. Bella jumped up and glanced at the clock. She then stuck the tomato sauce in the microwave, and dumped the noodles into a drainer in the sink. "Spaghetti for dinner, huh?"

"Yeah," Bella piled noodles onto two plates. She pulled the tomato sauce out carefully and dumped globs of it over the pasta. She then placed the plates on the table and sat down across from Charlie, who was oblivious to her tension.

Bella chickened out of saying anything at the beginning. She silently mimicked Charlie's eating, taking the time to mull over the food. A half hour later, he placed his plate in the sink and headed to the living room. Bella quickly dumped her plate in the sink, too, and followed him into the living room. She waited until he was seated comfortably on the couch, before speaking.

"Hey, um, Dad," Bella began uncomfortably. Charlie looked up at her. "A-A guy asked me out to the movies this weekend, and, um, I just thought I let you know…"

Bella trailed off in mingle discomfort and humiliation. She didn't want Charlie to get the idea that she needed his permission to go out with friends, but she did want to get off on a good note. She wouldn't mind if Charlie forbade her (or at least, she thought she wouldn't).

"A date? With whom," Charlie asked surprised.

"With Edward C-Cullen," Bella stammered, feeling her face going red.

"Edward Cullen," Charlie frowned. "Isn't he a little too old for you?"

"Uh, no," Bella could hear the way her uncertainty almost made her reply sound like a lie. If the online article was correct, Edward would definitely be too old. "We're in the same grade."

"What's the big one's name, then," Charlie asked suspicious.

"Emmett, I think," Bella replied. "Dad, do you really think I would go out with a way older guy?"

Charlie smiled sheepishly, before going into Officer Swan mode. "So what are you guys planning on doing?"

"We're just going to the movies and dinner afterwards.

"I'm not so sure, Bells. I'm not saying that the Cullen kids aren't a decent bunch, but still…boys have been known for going out of their minds whenever a female is present and chaperones aren't."

"You want me to get a chaperone," Bella choked, horrified at the idea. She could just imagine her father sitting in between her and Edward at the movies and on the ride home. "That's-That's so junior high!"

"Alright, alright," Charlie conceded. "But just be careful. Maybe get a group thing together for the first couple dates, okay?"

"Double date," Bella repeated stunned. That was it! If she couldn't find a way out of the date, she just needed to find some people to squeeze into the date. She couldn't believe that she hadn't realized that option before.

"Yeah, whatever you kids call it today," Charlie grinned slipping out of Officer Swan mode.

"Okay," Bella left the room and headed upstairs, deep in thought about the double date plan. It could work if she could find two friends willing to go on the date, and she would have to convince Edward to accept a double date. It shouldn't be too hard-if his reasons were for more than to protect his family.

Bella laid down on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. She still wasn't sure what she was going to do with what she discovered. She knew that kidnapping was serious business; she couldn't afford to make a mistake. The evidence was too controversial. The entire family seemed to take her as a threat, which could confirm that her kidnap theory was fact. But why would the ones supposedly kidnapped also defend whoever their kidnappers where?

_Bella stared out the window of the fast moving car. They were on a highway, but an unfamiliar one to her. It was Phoenix or Washington. Bella glanced over at the driver to ask where they were. Edward sat in the driver's side. _

_"Where are we?"_

_Edward merely smiled at the road ahead without replying. Bella suddenly remembered her earlier fear of being alone with him. She glanced in the back of the Volvo; they were alone. She glanced sharply at Edward._

_"Where are we? Where are you taking me?" Bella felt her chest closing in on the adrenaline pumping her heart. She grabbed her seatbelt and tried to yank it out the lock, but it was jammed. _

_"Stop fighting, Bella," Edward ordered calmly. His lips curved into a smile, but his green eyes looked dead. "It's just a date."_

_Bella opened her mouth, but suddenly someone (or something) grabbed her from behind. She thrashed around, but her strangler refused to let go. Edward's resigned, haunted eyes watched. Bella's eyesight started to blur._

Bella woke up, screaming. Charlie burst through the door. He went downstairs to hastily heat up some tea for her, while she attempted to smother her hysterics. She was somewhat calmer when he returned with the steaming cup. Bella held it in her numb hands.

"Some nightmare," Charlie muttered with a yawn. He left her alone to go get ready to leave for the police station.

Bella sighed and sipped the scalding tea. She felt even more exhausted than when she fell asleep. She groaned and crawled out of bed. She placed the cup on her desk and grabbed her bag of toiletries. She planned on taking a nice, reviving shower. As she stood in the shower, she remembered that she was supposed to suggest a double date to Edward today.

Bella dried her hair and got dressed. She grabbed her bookbag and hopped into her truck. As she reversed into the street, her bookbag spilled over into the floor. She groaned, but left it there until she reached Forks High School. The parking lot was empty. She picked the best parking space, and leaned over to pick up the mess that was her homework and notebooks. She picked up a bent piece of paper that looked clean; she opened it to discover the one-line message from yesterday: _Looking forward to our date._

Bella glanced up out of her windshield as cars pulled into the parking lot. She spotted the Volvo as it pulled into a space just two cars down from her. Edward stepped out the driver's seat. His older brothers flocked him, and his sisters trailed after them, discussing something very animatedly- a perfect family portrait-a perfectly hidden lie.

**I hope this chapter was alright. I will try to have the next chapter up some time this weekend.**


	6. A Perfectly Hidden Lie

**Twilight does not belong to me, but to Stephenie Meyer.**

**WARNING: kidnapping, mentions of child abuse, and antagonistic Carlisle (to an extent)**

**Edward Masen Jr.**

**By BriiDream**

Chapter Six: A Perfectly Hidden Lie

Bella slipped out of her car and raced across the wet pavement after the Cullen family. Miraculously, she didn't slip or trip until she got to the girls. She slipped and reflexively reached out to steady herself. She grabbed Alice and Rosalie's arms; they all fell. Alice and Rosalie both shrieked and squealed.

"Ugh, the nerve," Rosalie practically snarled, her perfect face twisting in anger when she looked at Bella. Bella shuffled away-if looks could kill, she would have been burnt and chopped into a million pieces.

"I'm sure Bella didn't do it on purpose," Alice smiled cheerfully at Bella. The boys had returned to their side, and Jasper pulled Alice to her feet effortlessly. Alice offered Bella a hand up. "Right?"

"Of course not," Bella replied sincerely. "I slipped up-I didn't mean to bring you two down with me."

Rosalie Hale paid no attention to Bella's rambled apology. She threw one more dirty look at her before walking off with a snickering Emmett in tow. Right before they turned the corner around the gym, she gave him a solid punch in the ribs. Bella turned back to the other three Cullens. Alice's sincere smile reassured Bella that she hadn't worked herself back onto the Cullens' bad side. Not that it matter since she was about to do that right now.

"Can I talk to you in private," Bella asked Edward after taking a big breath. She was glad that not a hint of agitation showed in voice. Both she and Edward glanced at Jasper and Alice who hadn't moved. They continued to stand there.

"Ugh, come on," Edward groaned and pulled Bella away from his siblings. He glared over his shoulder at them once they stopped a few yards away. "Ignore them. So, what's the problem?"

"You first have to promise to be completely honest with me," Bella stared him straight in the eye. He wasn't suspicious yet; he nodded and stared down curiously at her. "Why did you really ask me out on a date?"

"Because I wanted to get close to you," Edward responded, confused. He smiled crookedly. "Isn't that why everyone asks someone out?"

"Why do you want to get close to me," Bella ignored his question, vowing to not allow him to lead her down anymore brainwashing activities. "You didn't seem particularly interested when I brought your family's history up last week."

Edward's eyes narrowed at her. He replied in a lowered, curt tone, "For your information, I was interested. Then you just had to go babbling like an idiot."

"I don't babble like an idiot," Bella hissed, affronted. The little nudge of pleasant surprise that she had appealed to him without a death sentence hanging over his family was ruthlessly squashed by her anger. "And if that was so, you should've just stayed away from me! Then you wouldn't need to listen to my incessant 'rambles'!"

Bella whirled around and stomped towards class. She could feel the tears leaking out of her eyes from her anger. She didn't swipe them away. Before she had gotten more than six yards, she was roughly grabbed by her arm. She gritted her teeth and tried to yank away without looking back. Edward grabbed her other arm and pulled her around to face him.

"Are you _crying_," Edward asked, shocked by the tears. Bella rubbed furiously at her wet cheeks. She didn't fully catch the remorse that skipped across his face. "I didn't mean what I said."

"Then you wouldn't have said it in the first place," Bella sniffed. She tried to pull away, but Edward kept a firm grip on her. She glanced around at the parking lot. There were a few late arrivals and lollygaggers-none had surprisingly noticed their dispute. "Let go of me, right now."

"I thought you wanted to talk," Edward countered, his hands keeping a firm grip on her arms. Bella struggled to pull away. He turned to pleading. "Please, Bella, let's just talk. Ignore my earlier rude comment. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I am not hurt," Bella snapped angrily. She looked at Edward's pleading, green eyes. She felt her anger dissolving, but she was stubborn. "I don't want to talk to you, Edward. I don't see why you even bothered asking me out."

"I already told you why," Edward started pulling her back toward the vehicles. "I'm sure that wasn't what you wanted to discuss earlier."

"Okay, fine," Bella dug her heels into the pavement to keep him from dragging her any farther from the few other people still outside. The office usually called the house or the police station when she didn't show up to school. If they called Charlie, he would be alerted by her absence. "Let's discuss your family and you."

Edward pulled a poker face on. He still hadn't released his hold on her. Bella's heart rate increased slightly. She hoped teen boys didn't have dog instincts and could smell fear. She heard the bell rang for first period. Edward didn't let go or look away from her. She knew her fighting was useless now. It was just her and Edward outside as the clouds begin drizzling on them.

"I never thought of you as a nosy person," Edward commented. "That always seemed like a Jessica Stanley thing."

"Is that why you always turned her down?" Bella knew she was letting Edward drag her down another conversation thread, but she wasn't sure how to approach the main issue.

"Jessica Stanley is a shallow girl who uses others to boost her popularity," Edward scoffed. Bella glared at him defensive of her first friend. "That was the only reason she was interested in my family-she wanted to be the special first one that got into the Cullens' circle. She's just using you, too."

"I seriously doubt that's the only reason," Bella said frostily. "You wouldn't want Jessica figuring out your family. She wouldn't be able to control herself from sharing that fact with the whole school and town."

"Would you?" Edward's green eyes stared intensely into her own muddy brown ones. She caught her breath, not replying. "We're going to get soaked out here. Let's sit in my car."

"No way," Bella burst indignantly, throwing her full weight into leaning away from him as he started to pull her again. Tinted windows, and likely all locks controlled from the driver's side-"How stupid do you think I am!"

"I would never hurt you, Bella," Edward insisted earnestly. Bella looked at his open, sincere face; she then glanced pointedly at his fingers wound around her arms. "You have a very bad habit of walking away from a conversation."

"Let go of me and I'll stay right here," Bella offered. She stopped twisting and turning. Edward reluctantly let go of her. "Still here."

"Look, someone is going to notice us standing here," Edward ran his fingers through his wet hair. "My car is drier. I really mean no harm to you, Bella."

"Not even for your family's sake," Bella questioned, remembering the Cullen showdown in the cafeteria a few days ago.

"It's the only way we'll get anywhere with this discussion," Edward informed her.

Bella hesitated. Every alert in her body was flashing danger and warning. But her insufferable curiosity and need for answers was hitting all the mute buttons on the alerts. She needed answers-he was sincere. She pushed her nightmare to the back of her mind. She let out a long sigh as her decision formed in her mind. She started walking towards the Volvo with Edward.

She didn't catch the smile of triumph on Edward's face at the sight of the defeat on hers.

**This is on Hiatus for the rest of 2010. Right now, I'm trying to finish AD: Love and IHPS before I completely rewrite EMJr.**


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